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I have been seeing quite a few letters to the editor lately deriding Gov. Doug Burgum’s financial support of candidates through contributions to the Dakota Leadership PAC. I know and agree that there are moral, ethical, and, perhaps, legal questions that should be asked about that, but then again, it is awful nice to see a “party leader” put their money where their mouth is.
Contrast that with assumed/alleged Democratic/NPL party leaders such as former U.S. Senators Heitkamp and Dorgan. According to the Federal Election Commission's website, which lists, by name, contributions to campaigns over the reporting threshold of $200, either one time or in aggregate, both Heitkamp and Dorgan have not contributed to either of the Dem/NPL “top of the ticket” campaigns this cycle. In fact, again according to the FEC, Heitkamp hasn’t donated to an individual North Dakota federal campaign since Mac Schneider’s forgettable run in 2018. Dorgan is much more active in donations – most lobbyists are. He consistently donates to a PAC run by his employer Arent Fox LLP, which has donated to such notable Democrats as Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. Of course, the previous sentence is sarcasm. Sen. Thune currently serves as the Minority Whip, the nominally second in command of Senate Republicans, and stool pigeon to Mitch McConnell.
Money in politics is a dirty, dirty thing. We proles that have to worry about the cost of gas, the ever increasing “true and fair value” of housing, and the rising cost of a steak to grill on our measly week or so of vacation this summer (a lot of folks don’t even get that) often lose sight (or are too tired to look) of the machinations of our political caste in this country. We don’t notice the little things. Little things like the mailer Representative Dockter of District 7 spammed Bismarck with were bought by Americans for Prosperity, a PAC founded and funded by the Koch brothers. Or how Heitkamp’s PAC One Country Fund spent thousands of dollars in several other states trying to defeat an appointment to the FCC.
At least Burgum had the gumption to publicly support the local candidates he thought were the best. At least he is showing that he actually might even give a damn.
